[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 309 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
2d Session
S. RES. 309
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the culpability of Hun Sen
for violations of international humanitarian law after 1978 in Cambodia
(the former People's Republic of Kampuchea and the State of Cambodia).
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 15 (legislative day, October 2), 1998
Mr. Helms (for himself and Mr. McConnell) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the culpability of Hun Sen
for violations of international humanitarian law after 1978 in Cambodia
(the former People's Republic of Kampuchea and the State of Cambodia).
Whereas under the Vietnamese communist occupation of Cambodia (the former
People's Republic of Kampuchea and the State of Cambodia) between 1979
and 1989, Hun Sen was among a large number of former Khmer Rouge members
who were designated by the Vietnamese communists as surrogate leaders of
the People's Republic of Kampuchea, where international human rights
organizations documented widespread human rights violations;
Whereas during the period leading to internationally supervised elections in
1993, as Prime Minister of the State of Cambodia and a Politburo member
of the communist Cambodian People's Party (CPP), Hun Sen was responsible
for the disappearances, murder, and assassination attempts against
democratic opponents of the Cambodian People's Party;
Whereas after the Cambodian People's Party lost the 1993 national election, Hun
Sen organized a military force that threatened a military coup,
resulting in his being given a share of the Prime Minister position with
Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the election winner, and his Cambodian
People's Party maintaining control of the military, the internal
security forces, and provincial government administration;
Whereas in July 1997, Hun Sen ordered a coup d'etat against First Prime Minister
Prince Ranariddh which resulted in the deaths of a large number of
civilians caught in the crossfire and the torture and summary execution
of at least 100 government officials and the forced displacement of at
least 50,000 people as assaults continued on people or communities loyal
to Prince Ranariddh;
Whereas during the period leading to the July 1998 national election there were
widespread threats, assaults, and the suspected assassination of scores
of members of parties opposed to Hun Sen;
Whereas in September 1998, Hun Sen ordered a violent crackdown on thousands of
unarmed demonstrators, including Buddhist monks, who supported credible
investigations of irregularities in the electoral process and the change
in the format for allocating seats in the National Assembly which
permitted Hun Sen to maintain a small edge over Prince Ranariddh's
FUNCINPEC Party and entitled Hun Sen to maintain the post of Prime
Minister, which resulted in the brutality toward tens of thousands of
pro-democracy advocates and the deaths and disappearances of an unknown
number of people, and led to widespread civil unrest which threatens to
further destroy Cambodian society; and
Whereas Hun Sen has held, and continues to hold, high government office in a
repressive and violent regime, and has the power to decide for peace and
democracy and has instead decided for killing and repression, who has
the power to minimize illegal actions by subordinates and allies and
hold responsible those who committed such actions, but did not, and who
once again is directing a campaign of murder and repression against
unarmed civilians, while treating with contempt international efforts to
achieve a genuinely democratic government in Cambodia: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the United States should establish a collection of
information that can be supplied to an appropriate
international judicial tribunal for use as evidence to support
a possible indictment and trial of Hun Sen for violations of
international humanitarian law after 1978;
(2) any such information concerning Hun Sen and individuals
under his authority already collected by the United States,
including information regarding the March 1997 grenade attack
against Sam Rainsy, should be provided to the tribunal at the
earliest possible time;
(3) the United States should work with members of
interested countries and nongovernmental organizations relating
to information any country or organization may hold concerning
allegations of violations of international humanitarian law
after 1978 posed against Hun Sen and any individual under his
authority in Cambodia and give all such information to the
tribunal;
(4) the United States should work with other interested
countries relating to measures to be taken to bring to justice
Hun Sen and individuals under Hun Sen's authority indicted for
such violations of international humanitarian law after 1978;
and
(5) the United States should support such a tribunal for
the purpose of investigating Hun Sen's possible criminal
culpability for conceiving, directing, and sustaining a variety
of actions in violation of international humanitarian law after
1978 in any judicial proceeding that may result.
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